Imperial Army
The Imperial Army is a faction of the Institution controlled by the 'High Commander', a rank and responsibility bought by the Praed family in 1149. Although the Praed family serve as 'High Commander' of the army by hereditary right, everything other than political maneuvring by the army is left to the Lord-General; a hereditary title passed down from father to son in House Fendaren. The last Lord-General was Artos Fendaren, who died at Agrynok. Organisation The organisation of the Imperial army is based directly off the armies that existed in Akreiyna pre-Fourth Empire. Similarly to the forces of the Third Empire, and the Karumite Empire that rose from the ashes of the second, the Imperial Army is divided into legions. Because of the vastly greater size of the Imperial Army to its predecessors, the legions have been increased in size ten times. A legion is comprised of ten thousand men, then subdivided into centuries of one hundred. As of 1756 the Lord-General commanded a total of approximately one million men under arms. The Army is ultimately lead by the High Commander, and led in tactics and battle by the Lord-General. Beneath the Lord-General are five Grand Marshals, one for each theatre: the Grand Marshals of Akreiyna, Khamhara, Qi Do, Attaradan, and the North. Beneath the Grand Marshals are Field Marshals, one for each Imperial prefecture, then one Marshal in each province. Additionally, every separate force within the Army is lead by a General, who is attended by a Command Unit of aides: a standard bearer, a Hierophant, a Master of Foot, a Master of Arms, and a Master of Horse. Forces in the field are co-ordinated by 'High Command'; comprised of the Lord-General (or, if he is unavailable, a Grand or Field Marshal), the Hierus Krucir, or a Chaplain Krucir if the Hierus is unavailable, a guild Blademaster if guild troops are involved, and a liaison between the Eisernerat and High Command. Types of Legion There are several forms of legion within the Imperial Army: *'Legion Custodion: '''the Custodians are the highest ranking of Imperial legionaries, hand-picked by the Emperor's Captain of Guard from among the Praetorians-first-class. The Legion Custodion is the only legion still numbering one thousand men, all others were increased to ten thousand after the first battle at Sarakhamon. The Legion Custodion are armored entirely in gilt, white enameled plate. *'Praetorian Legions: 'praetorians are the elite of the Imperial Army. There are ten Praetorian Legions, ranging from first-to-tenth class. The praetorians wear black plate-and-mail, and the first class has gilt rims on their plates. All other ranks beneath first class have silver edging. *'Urban Legions: 'the Urban Legions are raised from city populations throughout the Imperium. For every 50,000 inhabitants, a city is expected to raise one half-legion. Urban legionaries are professional soldiers who are maintained as a standing army at all times. *'Militia Legions: 'militia are raised from the populations of cities in times of dire need. Armories are opened and the common people given weapons and armor to defend themselves. There are, however, people who are directly enlisted in Militia Legions, and who are generally given a minimal amount of training and take officer positions when the militia are called. *'Auxiliary Legions: 'auxiliaries are also known as mercenaries or sellswords; hired soldiers from across the world, paid to fight in the armies of the Imperium. Often auxiliaries fight alongside Imperial troops merely to bolster the numbers of the Emperor's soldiery, but sometimes they are hired on their own merit to add an exotic element to the Imperial Army. *'Slave Legions: '''with a very low level of organization or control, slave legions are forces comprised mostly of prisoners and captured slaves, generally unarmed, who are driven in front of the main army to protect more valuable troops from archery and the impact of an initial charge. Slave legions make up around 40-50% of the Imperial Army at any given time. Legions of Note Urtasht 7th Legion Urtasht's 7th Urban Legion is a well known force throughout the Imperium. According to popular legend, the legion first gained fame in 1423, when, under the command of one Centurion Rickard, they defeated an entire Arrian army at Inferno's Ridge, and held the pass there for three days against a force ten times their number. When the Imperial Army arrived to relieve them, there were only two hundred legionaries of Urtasht's 7th still standing. Category:The Institution Category:The Imperium